Face Down
by The Girly Man
Summary: “Maybe I can’t get through to Rin. But somebody has to get through to Akito. And that somebody’s gonna be me.” [[POSSIBLE SPOILERS VOLUMES 14 AND UP]]


**I do not own Fruits Basket and I did not write the song 'Face Down' by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and I do not own The Red Jumpsuit either. All of those are very sad things. This is my favorite one-shot I've ever written, actually, and that was a very hard thing to decide. But I freaking love this song, and this story, and I hope you do too. I love it even more now that my guitar teacher, Jason, taught me how to play it! It's pretty wicked easy, lol.**

**I wasn't sure whether to rate this M or T, so I just went with T. But the F-bomb is used twice, mind you. Spoilers for some chapter I can't remember right now. It's passed Book 14 though, so whatever. This is kind of a reenactment of after Akito cut Rin's hair off and Haru got mad, but like, _after_ that. I guess I like reenacting the Haru and Rin angst scenes. Hehe. This is long...

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**Face Down**

**_Hey girl you know you drive me crazy._**

**_One look puts the rhythm in my hand._**

"Hey Shishou… is Rin here?"

Kazuma smiled kindly at Hatsuharu, who was leaning against the frame of his front door with a look of anxiety in his eyes. "Umm… one second, Haru-kun," he said before leaning into the house and hollering "Rin-chan! Hatsuharu is here to see you!"

"Tell him I'm not here!" Rin yelled flippantly from the dining room, aware that Haru could hear her and see her if he were to peer through the front door a tiny bit.

"Do you mind if I come in?" Haru asked Kazuma, noticeably upset by Rin's purpose refusal.

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Kazuma sighed, but Hatsuharu was on the verge of snapping and allowed himself to the dining room.

"Not here, huh?" Haru said darkly, throwing his jacket onto the floor.

Rin looked up in surprise at the loud noise, dropping the paper crane she was folding into her lap. "Get out. Get away from me." she said through her teeth.

_She doesn't mean it…_ Haru tried to convince himself and didn't know how right he was. "What should I?"

"Are you stupid? We've had this conversation before!" she yelled, standing up.

"But I want the truth this time.

**_Still I'll never understand why you hang around._**

**_I see what's going down._**

As she stared at him, examining him, he stared back. He hated her hair short, the mature look it gave her, and only absentmindedly knew the real reason why. She was wearing more make up than before, but she was also wearing more clothing than before. Something looked so different, grown-up, about her, but Haru knew she was still the same, because she was wearing his necklace: the one he had let her borrow so long ago. She was aware he was staring at it, because she was touching it slowly.

"What?" she snapped hotly. "Why are you looking at me like that? Stop staring at me!"

"Rin… why are you wearing so much make up?"

"It's none of your business!"

He knew what she did before. She had scars and bruises on her back from when she had fallen out of the window and she covered those up with make up.

Contusions from _him._

Contusions from _Akito._

"Did Akito hurt you again?"

"No!" she gasped, tugging at the necklace as if trying to choke herself.

"Rin, stop," Haru said, pulling her hands away from her neck and staring her straight in the eyes. "Did Akito hurt you again?"

**_Cover up with make up in the mirror._**

**_Tell yourself it's never gonna happen again._**

"Damn you!" she yelled, pulling away by flailing her arms viciously. "Fuck you!"

Hatsuharu took that as a 'yes' as she sprinted down the hall into her room.

"There's no getting through to her," Kazuma said quietly as Haru slumped against the wall and slamming doors could be heard down the hall.

"Why?" Haru asked. "Why does she always run away from me?"

"She's just trying to protect you."

"Well I don't need her to!" Haru yelled, resting his head on his fist. "Why can't she understand that?"

"Again, there's no getting through to her. There's only one thing on her mind at all times, and nothing else is important."

"And what would that be?"

"Well, _you,_ of course."

**_You cry alone and then he swears he loves you._**

Hatsuharu sighed. "Why does Akito keep hurting her? If he says he loves the Juunishi, why does he seem to love our pain even more? Wasn't hurting her once enough?"

"Not for Akito, no. There's no getting through to him either."

Both were quiet for a moment, listening to Rin's stifled sobbing from the other room.

_I can't take this anymore. I can't listen to her cry anymore. It's killing me… _Haru decided, picking up his jacket and heading to the door.

"Hatsuharu where do you think—"

"Maybe I can't get through to Rin. But somebody has to get through to Akito. And that somebody's gonna be me."

"I will not allow you to—"

"Look at all she's done for me!" Haru felt his temper rising. "Look at how she's suffered to protect _me_. I love her, and I refuse to stand by and watch her get hurt again!"

Defeated as Haru slammed the front door, Kazuma opened the door to Rin's room, where she had been listening the whole time.

"Are you going after him?"

Rin wiped her face on the backs of her hands before answering. "No, Shishou," she cried, clutching her pillow tightly. "I just… I just can't."

_**Do you feel like a man when you push her around?**_

_**Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?**_

_Just because he's "God"… Just because he's "in control"… I'm not holding back. I'm stepping in like I should have a long time ago. I've been such a coward and little Rin has paid the full price… He should've never messed with her… Now he has me to deal with…_

Kicking a pebble down the street angrily, Black Haru never once considered backing out. No matter what the consequence, he would teach Akito to stop being a bully and win Rin's heart back.

If only his movie ending could come true.

_**Well I'll tell you my friend, one day this world's got to end**_

_**As your lies crumble down, a new life she has found.**_

"What'll happen, Shishou?"

Kazuma leaned against the door, watching Rin sob into her pillow pitifully. She was rambling and he wondered if she was hysterical.

"Does he need me? Does he want me chasing after him like I have so many times before?"

Kazuma stood silent.

"Or would I make everything worse?"

So many thoughts were floating around in her head that she couldn't keep track of them. What would Akito do? Would he hurt Hatsuharu? If he did it would be all her fault for not going after him. But if she did go after him… would Akito get angrier than if she hadn't come at all? Would the pain be worse?

"What'll happen if I go, Shishou?" she cried.

"What will happen if you don't?"

_Damn this heart,_ she thought as she stood up, throwing her pillow to the ground. Gathering the last ounce of her courage, she ran to the Main House for what she hoped would be the last time.

_**A pebble in the water makes a ripple effect.**_

_**Every action in this world will bear a consequence.**_

The pebble he was kicking rolled into a puddle from that morning's rain and Hatsuharu stared down at his reflection for a minute before finding himself in front of the Main House.

"Hatsuharu."

Haru was on his way down the hallway when he heard his name.

"Kureno," he snapped.

"What do you think you're doing here?"

"I'm here to protect Rin."

Kureno almost rolled his eyes. "Haru, the damage has been done. I advise you to stay away from Akito right now."

"What did he do to her face?"

"That's really not important."

"_WHAT DID HE DO?"_

Haru had Kureno shoved against the wall in a matter of seconds, his arm across Kureno's throat and ready to do whatever he had to for the answer.

"Akito… he scarred her. He ran his fingernails down through her face. She bled, she cried, and Akito just laughed at her pain."

In a slight stun, Haru backed away and shook his head before bolting down the hallway.

_**If you wade around forever you will surely drown.**_

_**I see what's going down.**_

"_AKITO!"_

Haru stood in the door of Akito's bedroom, panting heavily. Akito just looked up at him slowly.

"I'd been wondering when to expect you here."

"Don't talk to me like that. Don't talk to me like I'm stupid."

"I can do whatever I—"

"No you can't!"

Hatsuharu pulled Akito up by the shoulder and shoved him against the wall. "What's wrong with you, you sick excuse for a human? Why do you pick on Rin? Do you like watching her get hurt? Do you like watching her fall after all of the pain she's already been through? She lied to you. It was _me_ who kissed her first so long ago, and she lied because she was afraid of what you would do to me. But I don't care what you think you can do to me. I would die for her. I would kill for her. And I'm a second away from murdering you. I love her, a feeling you'll never have or receive. Now stand there and tell me you don't care!"

Akito had a smile on his face and kept calm. "I don't care," he said, pulling his fingernails down Haru's face.

_**I see the way you go and say you're right again.**_

_**Say you're right again.**_

_**Heed my lecture.**_

"I don't care either," Haru choked, desperately trying to ignore the hot blood running down his cheeks. He threw his hands around Akito's neck and squeezed tightly.

-

"KURENO!"

Collapsing in front of the front steps and breathing hard, Rin yelled the Bird's name. Her make up was running and her reopened scars could be seen again. Kureno was standing alone on the porch. "Kureno… get Haru for me… He'll hurt Akito, I know it… We'll be in so much trouble… Please, Kureno… go save him…"

Dirt coated her arms and legs and Kureno pitied her too much to argue. He left her lying face down in the dirt and rushed to Akito's bedroom.

_**Do you feel like a man when you push her around?**_

_**Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?**_

_**Well I'll tell you, my friend, one day this world's got to end**_

_**As your lies crumble down, a new life she has…**_

"Let Akito go!"

Kureno rushed into the room as Akito was on his last breaths. He pulled Haru away and threw him against the wall on the other side of the room.

"KILL HIM! GET HIM!" Akito coughed, massaging his throat as he struggled to remain standing.

"I love her! And I don't care who knows!" Haru spat angrily as Kureno picked him up and dragged him through the halls.

"It doesn't hurt… It doesn't hurt…" Rin bit her lip, angrily pounding the dirt she was laying in. "This doesn't hurt…"

She picked up a pebble from a nearby puddle and squeezed it until it was warm. If anything happened to either Akito or Haru, it would be her fault. She would have hell to pay to herself and it would be her fault like everything else in the world.

She threw the pebble into the puddle and cried aloud when it made a splash.

_**One day she will tell you that she has had enough…**_

Rin looked up as a body was thrown from the front door next to her own. It was Haru, and she thought he might've been dead before he sat up and looked at her. For a minute, he had thought _she_ was dead.

"Haru… don't be black anymore… don't be mad… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" she cried, placing her head and hands on his knee.

"You… Rin, I didn't mean to—"

"I've had enough!" she cried, looking up at Haru. "I love you, Haru! I fucking love you!"

Purposely waiting until Akito was there to watch from the doorway, Rin leaned up and touched Haru's bloody cheek before kissing him as hard and deeply as she could.

_**Face down in the dirt**_

_**She said "This doesn't hurt."**_

_**She said "I've finally had enough."**_


End file.
